One metabolite, two pathways: convergence of polypropionate biosynthesis in fungi and marine molluscs

Structural similarity or even the identity of polyketide compounds does not necessarily imply unique biosynthesis. Feeding experiments with a (13)C labeled precursor establish that the C(3) units in 7-methyl-cyercene-1 (1) are derived from intact propionate in the marine mollusc Ercolania funerea. The same compound in the terrestrial fungus Leptosphaeria maculans/Phoma lingam is synthesized by an acetate/SAM pathway thus proving for the first time metabolic convergence of polyketide biosynthesis in eukaryotes. Traditional (1)H-(13)C NMR correlation spectroscopy has been successfully applied to estimate (13)C incorporation in biosynthetic experiments.     

Coniothyrione: anatomy of a structure revision

Coniothyrione is a xanthone‐derived antibiotic reported several years ago by researchers at Merck & Co. Inc. Revision of the position of the chloro substitution was recently proposed on the basis of empirical reinterpretation of the carbon chemical shift data and a hypothetical biosynthetic argument without the acquisition of any new spectral data to support the postulated change in substituent location. The originally published HMBC data lead to an equivocal assignment of the structure and do not provide a solid basis of support for either structure. Neural network ¹³C chemical shift calculations and density functional theory calculations also led to undifferentiated structures. Definitive confirmation of the structure of coniothyrione based on the acquisition and interpretation of 1,1‐ADEQUATE and inverted ¹J_CC 1,n‐ADEQUATE data is now reported. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The structure of the halogeno and nitro derivatives of N-vinylcarbazole. PMR spectral data and related MNDO calculations

The influence of Cl, Br, I and NO₂ substituents in the carbazole ring on the coupling constants and the chemical shifts of the high resolution spectrum of N-vinylcarbazole have been investigated. Verification of the experimental results was based on a simulation of the PMR spectra by the LAOCOON method for mono-, di-, tri- and tetrahalo derivatives of N-vinylcarbazole as well as for 3-nitro and 3, 6-dinitro N-vinylcarbazole. The influence of the substituent on the free rotation of the vinyl group on the electron densities of α and β carbons of this group and the influence of the substituents on the geometry of N-vinylcarbazole were estimated using the quantum-mechanical semiempirical SCF MNDO method.     

Protein splicing: occurrence,mechanisms and related phenomena

An increasing number of proteins are thought to self-splice post-translationally on the level of the polypeptide, producing two separate proteins from one gene, neither of which is the protein predicted from the gene sequence. The recent elucidation of the mechanism of splicing has led to the identification of a number of post-translational protein modifications that use similar chemical pathways.     

Incorporation of FT-IR spectral data in a computer-assisted prediction of globular protein structure

Currently, much effort is being directed to the determination of the three-dimensional structure of proteins. Two classes of research are of interest; spectrometric techniques which include Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectrometry, and non-spectrometric prediction schemes. The spectra obtained using FT-IR spectrometry, are analyzed to determine the percentages of alpha-helices, beta-pleated sheets, and non-structured coils in a protein. Unfortunately, FT-IR, as well as other spectrometric techniques, cannot be used to determine the exact secondary structure of a protein reliably. Non-spectrometric prediction methods yield information on the exact secondary structure, but are not always accurate. Most prediction methods relate the primary amino acid sequence to the secondary structure of a protein, allowing sequential secondary structure information for the protein examined to be obtained. The goal of this research is to incorporate FT-IR with a prediction method, resulting in an improvement in the accuracy of the prediction.     

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in edible fats and oils: occurrence and analytical methods

This review deals with analytical methods for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) determination in oils and fats. The data reported in the introduction deal with PAH dietary intake from this group of food and contamination levels recently found by some authors in different vegetable oils, stressing the importance of establishing a method suitable for routine analyses. Traditional sample preparation relies on tedious, time-consuming procedures. They generally consist of an extraction step (liquid-liquid partition, caffeine complexation, saponification) followed by one or more purification procedures (column chromatography, thin-layer chromatography, solid-phase extraction). The analytical determination is usually carried out by HPLC and spectrofluorometric detection, or through high-resolution capillary GC coupled to flame ionisation detection or mass spectrometry. LC is a valid alternative to the traditional sample preparation, and off-line LC-LC allows performing an accurate PAH analysis in less than 2 h. Also supercritical fluid extraction, allowing performing both extraction and clean-up in one combined step, is a promising technique. Hyphenated techniques such as LC-GC and LC-LC-GC seem to be very promising. A completely on-line method for alkylated PAH determination in oils or lipidic extracts contaminated with mineral oil involves a two-dimensional LC-step with intermediate eluent evaporation and GC transfer through a vaporiser/overflow interface.     

Content of micronutrients,mineral and trace elements in some Mediterranean spontaneous edible herbs

Background

The analysis of mineral elements composition was determined in three wild edible herbs (Cichorium intybus L., Sonchus asper L. and Borago officinalis) collected in seven different sampling sites which were characterized by different pollution grade. The detection of mineral elements (Ca, K, Mg and Na), micronutrients (Cu, Fe, Li, Mn and Zn) and heavy metals (As, Cd, Hg, Ni and Pb) was performed.

Results

The results obtained show that in most cases a direct relationship appeared between the amount of elements and the sampling sites. The highest concentrations of heavy metals were found in samples grown in polluted soils. These evaluations showed that contaminants in plants may reflect the environmental state in which they develop.

Conclusion

The examined species are a good source of mineral elements and micronutrients, making them particularly adapt to integrate a well-balanced diet. The accumulation of heavy metals showed that contaminants in plants may reflect the environmental state in which they develop. Results showed high concentrations of heavy metals in samples taken in locations characterized by high human activity and in some samples from the local market, of which no one knows the collection area.

     

Structure revision of ent-kaurane diterpenoids,isoserrins A,B, and D,enabled by DU8+ computation of their NMR spectral data

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Synthesis and structure revision of the coumarin, celerin

The four possible structures (2, 4, 6 and 8) for celerin have been synthesised and the structure of the natural product revised to 8-hydroxy-7-methoxy-5-(1,1-dimethylallyl) coumarin (8).     

Claisen rearrangements-XV : structure revision of the coumarin, celerin, by synthesis

The four possible structures, 9,12,17 and 26 for celerin have been synthesised and the structure of the natural product revised to8-hydroxy-7-methoxy-5-(l,l-dimethylallyl) coumarin 26. Efficient alternative synthetic routes to sibiricol 5, coumurrayin 6 and pinnarin 13 have been established.     

Brominated boron dipyrrins: synthesis, structure, spectral and electrochemical properties

meso-Anisyl boron dipyrrins (BODIPYs) 1-6 containing one to six bromines at the pyrrole carbons have been synthesized by treating meso-anisyl dipyrromethane with 'n' equivalents of N-bromosuccinimide in THF at room temperature followed by oxidation with DDQ, neutralization with triethylamine and further complexation with BF(3)·OEt(2). The brominated compounds were characterized by HR-MS mass, detailed (1)H, (19)F and (11)B NMR and X-ray diffraction studies. The crystal structures solved for compounds 2-6 indicate that the boron dipyrrinato framework comprised two pyrrole rings and one six membered boron containing ring in one plane like other reported BODIPYs. However, the dihedral angle between the BODIPY core and the meso-anisyl group varied from 48° to 88° and the meso-anisyl ring has an almost perpendicular orientation in penta 5 and hexabrominated 6 BODIPYs. The absorption and emission studies showed a bathochromic shift and reached a maximum for tetrabrominated derivative 4, after which there was no change in the peak maxima for penta 5 and hexabrominated 6 derivatives. However, the quantum yields were reduced with the increasing number of bromines. The electrochemical studies revealed that brominated BODIPY compounds 1-6 are easier to reduce compared to unsubstituted meso-anisyl BODIPY 8 and the reduction potential is linearly related to the number of Br groups.     

Total synthesis, structure revision, and absolute configuration of (+)-yatakemycin

The total synthesis of the reported structure 2 for yatakemycin, an exceptionally potent, naturally occurring antitumor agent disclosed in 2003, and its lack of correlation with the natural product are detailed. On the basis of spectroscopic distinctions between 2 and yatakemycin, the natural product structure was reformulated as 3, now bearing a thiomethyl ester versus thioacetate in the left-hand subunit. Total synthesis of 3 provided a compound nearly identical to but still subtly distinct from the natural product. A second reformulation of the yatakemycin structure as 1, incorporating the alternatively substituted right-hand subunit as well as the initial thiomethyl ester reformulation, was confirmed by total synthesis of both (+)- and ent-(-)-1 in studies that also unambiguously established the absolute configuration of the natural product.